This disclosure relates to biosourced ionic polymers containing carboxy and hydroxyl groups, methods for the manufacture of the polymers, and uses thereof.
Ionic polymers are polymers that contain ionic groups, e.g., carboxylate, sulfonate, or phosphonate groups. “Ionomers” are a type of ionic polymer that contain up to 15 mole % of units bearing ionic groups. Ionomers can be random, that is, having ionic groups distributed along the backbone of the chain, or telechelic, where ionic groups are only present at the chain ends. Representative ionomers include the sodium or zinc salts of poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid). “Polyelectrolytes,” on the other hand, are a type of ionic polymer having greater than 15 mole % of units that bear ionic groups. Exemplary polyelectrolytes are the salts of poly(acrylic acid).